Parents can provide the compass, but it is up to the child to find her own way
Hey, World, it’s me again. The last of my four children graduates from high school today. Is it possible the last time I wrote it was her first day of kindergarten?
You must have done something right; my awkward duckling has turned into a beautiful swan, ready to spread her wings and fly east to college. Despite a few unavoidable crises, she has fared extremely well. Remember how worried I was about you protecting her heart? Today that heart is filled with compassion, wonder and excitement about the future. Sure, it’s been broken a few times along the way, but those scars remind her that life isn’t always fair. She’s stronger for those dings and scratches.
In fact, she’s a confident, poised, and at times, headstrong, young lady.
That “faith” concern? I am happy to report that sometime in these growing years, she went from conforming to our beliefs to being transformed, owning her own faith. Her integrity is intact; she is a young woman of good character. Of course, it hasn’t been easy for her mom and dad to watch this metamorphosis with its occasional dashed hopes and unpredictable moments. Yet when we witness her resolute heart and determination, the grace with which she lives her life, we wouldn’t trade any of it.
Not sure the boy thing ever gets a happy “thumbs up” from dad, but I am learning that it is difficult not to love someone who loves someone you love. So I, too, am growing.
Much like the family cat, my little girl decides when she wants advice and affection, but I learned a long time ago that when she wants a heartfelt hug, I wait for her to be the first to let go.
She used to crawl into my lap so we could read a story together. Now she spends hours in her room with her mom at the foot of the bed helping her navigate the waters of young adulthood. Someday when she’s a mother, she’ll realize just how blessed she was to have such a loving and wise mother who invested time, listened closely, guided gently and was always there for her. I’m pretty proud of both of them.
Realizing that parenting can be a gamble, yet believing that our daughter’s choices must be her own, we’ve partnered with heaven and with you, World, praying that she would have wisdom, discernment, patience, humility and kindness. So far, so good. Soon she’ll be on her own. Please help her make a difference in her world.
After all, she will always be my little girl.
This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 2:40 PM with the headline "Parents can provide the compass, but it is up to the child to find her own way."